June 23, 2022, PORTLAND, Maine – Eric and Peggy Cianchette of Portland have generously donated $2 million to Maine Medical Center as part of The NEXT 150 | Campaign for Maine Medical Center. In recognition and appreciation of this gift, Maine Medical Center (MMC) is naming its cardiovascular intensive care unit (CICU) the Eric & Peggy Cianchette Cardiac Intensive Care Unit. The gift also marks a new phase in MMC’s $150 million capital campaign. MMC has reached its original fundraising goal, and is extending the campaign to support further investments made necessary by the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Peggy and Eric Cianchette; Courtesy: The Cianchette Family
Eric and Peggy Cianchette have a particular interest in cardiovascular care in part because their daughter is a cardiac nurse. The new Malone Family Tower, currently under construction on Congress Street in Portland, will include 96 private patient rooms and 19 procedural suites with a focus on cardiac care. The Eric & Peggy Cianchette Cardiac Intensive Care Unit will feature state-of-the-art equipment that supports the modern-day needs of the region’s sickest cardiac patients.
“We are excited to see the extraordinary facility that Maine Medical Center is building and know it will benefit countless cardiac patients once complete,” Eric and Peggy Cianchette said. “Our family and friends have received outstanding care from Maine Medical Center, and we are honored to be making an investment in the future of the medical center for all Maine people.”
Through the generosity of the Cianchette family and other donors, MMC has successfully met its $150 million fundraising goal to support three critical priorities:
- Building modern and adaptable facilities at MMC
- Educating the next generation of caregivers in Maine
- Innovating solutions to improve patient care
Throughout the pandemic, though, MMC’s workforce and facilities needs became even more acute. Not only is MMC now caring for more patients than ever before, but those patients tend to be sicker and require longer hospital stays. On most days, dozens of patients in MMC’s emergency department are waiting for a hospital bed to become available.
To meet this need, the city of Portland has approved MMC’s plan to build out the 5th floor of the Malone Family Tower ahead of the project’s original schedule. The tower will now open with 96 private inpatient rooms instead of the original 64. MMC also is adding a new sterile processing department at the top of the Malone Family Tower in order to meet rising demand for procedure cases. To support these crucial services, MMC has extended The NEXT 150 | Campaign for Maine Medical Center to raise $20 million more for construction, and already has secured $9 million toward that goal. MMC also continues to seek $3 million in support of its $25 million goal to meet workforce development needs.
“This project has always been about planning to meet the future needs of our community,” said MMC President Jeff Sanders. “The pandemic has accelerated our need for private rooms and a skilled workforce so we can continue to provide high-quality, safe, patient-centered care to our community. We are grateful to the Cianchette family and all of our benefactors – past, present and future – who are continuing to show their support for our care team, our mission and our vision of working together so our communities are the healthiest in America.”
The Malone Family Tower is expected to open in early 2024. To learn more about how you can support MMC’s plans to forge a healthier future, visit next150.mmc.org.
###
About Maine Medical Center:
Maine Medical Center (MMC), recognized as a Best Regional Hospital by U.S. News and World Report for 2021-2022, is a complete health care resource for the people of Greater Portland and the entire state, as well as northern New England. Incorporated in 1868, MMC is the state’s largest medical center, licensed for 637 beds and employing more than 9,600 people. MMC’s unique role as both a community hospital and a referral center requires an unparalleled depth and breadth of services, including an active educational program and a world-class biomedical research center. As a nonprofit institution, Maine Medical Center provides nearly 23 percent of all the charity care delivered in Maine. MMC is part of the MaineHealth system, a growing family of health care services in northern New England. For more information, visit www.mmc.org.
